Author: Sarah Sabry and Anupama Nallari at the Urban Hub @ Save the Children and Aline Rahbany @ World Vision International

As cities and towns become home to growing numbers of refugee and displaced children, local governments face urgent challenges to build inclusive, child-friendly urban spaces. This blog describes practical examples from Ramallah, Occupied Palestinian Territories, and Arsal, Lebanon, where municipalities and communities collaborate to improve public spaces and services for both host and refugee or displaced communities. 

More than 49 million children were forcibly displaced worldwide by June 2024, including refugees, asylum-seekers, and internally displaced children, many of whom live in cities (UNHCR, 2024). According to UNHCR, every 7 out of 10 refugees and asylum-seekers in the world live in urban areas. Most displaced people now live in protracted crises, remaining displaced for years or even decades. In 2024, according to this report, 66% of refugee populations were living in protracted displacement, severely impacting refugee children’s access to education, health care, psychosocial wellbeing, safety, and sense of belonging. Additionally, as shown in the map below, forcibly displaced children and families increasingly live in situations affected by conflict and climate change, increasing their health and safety risks. 

Urban settings are often assumed to offer better services and opportunities. But for refugee and displaced children, cities can be places of exclusion, insecurity, and poor living conditions.  

Refugee and displaced children living in urban areas face a unique set of challenges. Many live in informal settlements or marginalised neighbourhoods with limited basic infrastructure and resources, putting further strain on already stretched resources and, therefore, drawing anger from host communities. Some also face language and cultural barriers upon arrival in a new country or city. Protection risks, including child labour, exploitation, and gender-based violence, are heightened in these environments. 

Refugee children in urban contexts face a “double invisibility” as they are neglected in both national policies and humanitarian aid systems. There is limited to no information on how they are faring in terms of health, well-being, learning, and safety. While some local and city governments have been stepping up to respond to the needs and issues of refugee and displaced children in their cities and towns, they are not mandated to do so. The responsibility to respond to displaced populations falls on national governments, but the actual burden is being picked up by local and city governments, filling gaps in states’ responses.  

 The Global Compact on Refugees (2018) calls for greater responsibility-sharing and the inclusion of refugees in national and local systems and services. Municipalities can play a critical role in delivering on this promise through localised integrated “nexus programming” that links humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding goals. The experiences of cities like Ramallah and organisations like CatalyticAction in Lebanon demonstrate how child- and caregiver-centred approaches can help build inclusive urban environments for refugee communities. 

Ramallah City’s Durable Qaddura Initiative  

Qaddura is an unrecognised refugee camp in the City of Ramallah, Occupied Palestinian Territories, home to around 2,000 people, including 700 children under the age of 15. UNRWA does not recognize the camp and thus the camp receives no official humanitarian aid for relief or social services like healthcare and education.  

Ramallah City, however, recognises Qaddura as a neighbourhood. In 2023, Ramallah’s municipality launched the “Durable Qaddura” initiative with funding and support from the Mayors Migration Council(MMC), as part of the Global Cities Fund for Refugees. That same year, the MMC announced a $50 million commitment to support more cities develop solutions for migrants and refugees. 

As part of the initiative, the city consulted with Qaddura camp residents, including children and caregivers, to better understand their needs and priorities and to shape targeted interventions. Children and caregivers expressed frustration that the local park had fallen into serious disrepair. Key concerns included poor lighting, narrow entrances, a lack of restroom facilities, and shared play areas where younger children were exposed to rough play from older youth. Another concern was the inconsistent waste collection in the camp, due to outdated vehicles and limited resources. 

The city, in partnership with community members, implemented three targeted interventions to address residents’ concerns: 

1. Strengthening the solid waste (SW) management system by replacing the older waste collection system with a newer and more efficient truck, adding over 100 waste collection bins in strategic locations identified by neighbourhood residents, and raising awareness on proper waste disposal among residents. 
2. Rehabilitating Qaddura’s public park by upgrading playgrounds, sports facilities and restrooms; installing new lighting, shade structures, benches, and play equipment; widening the entrance to the park at the request of girls in the neighbourhood and locating play for younger children in more sheltered areas. 
3. Raising environmental awareness among residents, through campaigns and workshops, some of which were led by children and youth, to improve waste disposal practices and care for upgraded facilities. 

The project used a participatory approach, involving children, youth, and caregivers in planning, implementation, and monitoring. A Joint Service Committee of community representatives, including caregivers and youth, helped design the interventions and co-led awareness campaigns. Children were involved in learning about the new equipment, safety protocols, and environmental practices. 

The results were promising. Families returned to the park, children had a safe space to play, caregivers could relax and socialise in the rehabilitated park, city municipality and camp members managed waste more effectively, and environmental health awareness improved. The Durable Qaddura project aligns with the city’s 2050 Strategic Plan, which emphasises inclusive, green, and resilient urban development. Ramallah City has also begun the process of becoming a child-friendly city with technical and financial support from UNICEF and UN-Habitat. 

Inclusive Public Space for Children in Arsal, Lebanon 

In Arsal, a remote town in northeast Lebanon, the population has more than doubled since the arrival of over 40,000 Syrian refugees. With limited infrastructure and services, public space is scarce and contested. In this context, CatalyticAction, a UK- and Lebanon-based design NGO, has developed models of participatory urban upgrading that centre the voices of refugee and host communities alike- especially children and young people. 

Between 2019 and 2020, the organisation partnered with the NGO Terres des Hommes Italy in Lebanon and the Municipality of Arsal, with support from UNICEF and Action Against Hunger, to co-create an inclusive public park in Arsal. The project was designed and implemented with direct input from children and caregivers from both Syrian refugee and Lebanese host communities. Using locally available materials and a human-centred design approach, the team created a safe, accessible, and vibrant park that responded to the diverse needs of its users. 

Participatory activities shaped the design. For example, children’s requests for spaces for social play led to the inclusion of interactive features such as speaking pipes and musical elements. Caregivers emphasised the need for shaded seating, safety from nearby roads, and inclusive play areas for all ages and abilities. In response, shaded seating areas were integrated alongside sensory games for toddlers, allowing parents to supervise their children comfortably. For older children the park has a climbing wall, basketball hoops, and hangout spaces. The surrounding mountainous landscape inspired the final layout. Several play areas, or “play stations”, were scattered across different levels, mimicking the dispersed buildings in the area. A “playful ramp,” designed as a play feature, ensured universal access to all play stations. Promoting play and inclusion is vital for children’s health, mental well-being, and ability to cope with trauma.

CatalyticAction, together with local and international partners, has co-created multiple parks in Lebanon during times of overlapping crises. These parks go beyond play. They demonstrate how inclusive public spaces can foster healing, belonging, and resilience in divided urban settings. The DeCID Handbook developed by the design NGO and partners is a valuable resource for participatory planning and co-creating inclusive social infrastructure with children and families affected by displacement. 

Rethinking Urban Inclusion: Towards Child- and Caregiver-Friendly Refugee Cities 

The experiences in Ramallah and Arsal underscore several key lessons for making inclusive urban environments for refugee children and families: 

• Recognise refugee and displaced population settlements as integral parts of the city, and deliver services accordingly. 

• Strengthen data systems to make refugee and displaced children more visible by collecting disaggregated, local-level data that captures their living conditions, needs, and aspirations. 

• Invest in public spaces like upgrading parks, streets, and waste systems that support health, well-being, and belonging, uplifting living conditions for both host and refugee communities. 

• Use participatory processes to design with and for children, youth, and caregivers of host, refugee and displaced communities, fostering social cohesion 

• Build local capacity in municipalities and communities for long-term sustainability 

• Invest in small-scale, catalytic interventions that can drive long-term systemic change when paired with strong municipal leadership and support from international partners. 

As global displacement increases and cities host more refugees and displaced groups, these locally led, community-based models are vital. Inclusive cities are not just about physical infrastructure, but about rights, recognition, and co-ownership of increasingly diverse and fragile urban environments. 

References 

• UNHCR (2024). Global Trends: Forced Displacement in 2023.  

• Global Compact on Refugees, 2018. 

• Mayors Migration Council. “Durable Qaddura Project,” 2023. 

• CatalyticAction: https://catalyticaction.org/; Arsal Inclusive Park, DeCID Handbook  

About the Author 

This blog was written by Sarah Sabry and Anupama Nallari at the Urban Hub @ Save the Children and Aline Rahbany @ World Vision International. Many thanks to Malvena AlJamal (Ramallah Municipality) and Joana Dabaj (CatalyticAction) for sharing their experiences and insights on creating inclusive urban spaces for refugee and displaced children. Also, thanks to Claire Roberts Lamont (UNHCR) for reviewing an earlier version of the blog and providing suggestions to strengthen it.

The Ideas for Action Series showcases ideas for action, innovation, programmes, policies and practices that make public spaces child-friendly. Read more of our blogs here. 

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